aggravate

/ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/

//ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"aggravate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“aggravate” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,851. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,851
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-aggravate · aggravate · English

aggravate · rank #36,851 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,851
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Adolph

Nearest frequency peer: Adolph (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “aggravate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “aggravate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

aggravate vs aggregate
78% similar
aggravate vs aggravated
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for aggravate
PropertyValue
Headwordaggravate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/
Letters9
Frequency rank#36,851
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aggravate” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).aggravatelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Adolph” (#36,850), “admittance” (#36,849), “Adirondack” (#36,848). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around aggravate (IPA /ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/), averb. Corpus frequency is #36,851 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for aggravate, with forms such as "aggarvate", "aggraavte", and "aggravaet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "aggregate", "aggravated", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The adjective is first attested in 1471 in Middle English, the verb in 1530; from Latin aggravātus, perfect passive participle of aggravō (“to add to the weight of, make worse, oppress, annoy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suf… The correct English form is aggravate, spelled A-G-G-R-A-V-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.
  2. 2
    To make (any bad thing) worse.
  3. 3
    To give extra weight or intensity to; to exaggerate, to magnify.
  4. 4
    To pile or heap (something heavy or onerous) on or upon someone.
  5. 5
    To exasperate; to provoke or irritate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how aggravate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Once more, the more to aggrauate the note, With a foule Traitors name ſtuffe I thy throte, And wiſh (ſo pleaſe my Soueraigne) ere I moue, What my tong ſpeaks, my right drawn ſword may proue
  2. The defense made by the prisoner's counsel did rather aggravate than extenuate his crime.

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1471 in Middle English, the verb in 1530; from Latin aggravātus, perfect passive participle of aggravō (“to add to the weight of, make worse, oppress, annoy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to”) + gravō (“to make heavy”), from gravis (“heavy”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See grave and compare aggrieve and aggrege. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Synonyms

adulterateaggravatealloycankercontaminatecorruptdebasedebauchdefiledeflowerdegradedeterioratedowngradeenvenomexasperateexacerbateinfectimpairleavenpejorateset backstainsophisticateupliftvitiateweaken

Antonyms

ameliorateimprovemitigaterepairrestore

This word in other languages

agravar(Español)aggraver(Français)verschlimmern(Deutsch)agravar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aggarvate
  • aggraavte
  • aggravaet
  • aggravatte
  • aggravtae
  • aggravvate
  • aggrravate
  • aggrvaate
  • agravate
  • agrgavate
  • gagravate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of aggravate - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aggarvate2aggraavte2aggravaet2aggravatte1aggravtae2aggravvate1aggrravate1aggrvaate2
Edit distance from "aggravate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aggravate"?
"aggravate" is spelled A-G-G-R-A-V-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/.
What does "aggravate" mean?
As a verb, "aggravate" means: To make (an offence) worse or more severe; to increase in offensiveness or heinousness.
What words are commonly confused with "aggravate"?
"aggravate" is commonly confused with "aggregate", "aggravated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "aggravate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aggravate" is /ˈæɡ.ɹə.veɪ̯t/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "aggravate"?
The adjective is first attested in 1471 in Middle English, the verb in 1530; from Latin aggravātus, perfect passive participle of aggravō (“to add to the weight of, make worse, oppress, annoy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-f... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "aggravate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

wristband#36,836appraiser#36,867arboretum#36,868archivist#36,869

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

alveolar11 variantsYeltsin11 variantsarsehole11 variantswhacked11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "aggravate". Here's where to go from here.

  • "aggravate" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "aggregate". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #36,851 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "A" letter cohort. A–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list